Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Matt and I decided to toughen up and do what we moved to Grand Junction to do......ride our bikes. We headed over to Kokopelli in Fruita and did a couple of loops by the river. It was a gorgeous day and turns out we weren't the only loony ones out there in these temps (mid 20s). It was my first real snow biking experience. Most of the trail was actually dry (well 50%) and since it has been so cold the snow stays nice and hard making cornering and climbing quite manageable. It was a ton of fun and I can see how riding in the snow helps bike handling skills. Being on your line and keeping your upper body strong are two ways of making the experience a successful one.

Here's Matt wizzing along Rustler's Loop on his 29er (I know it doesn't really look like snow biking here but I promise there were some sections, but nothing compared to the high mountain riding).

Just a couple pics from the parking spot to show the amount of snow around (I've been told it's a lot for Fruita this time of year.

No pics of me riding 'cause the batteries died. I realized as I was ascending the first hill on Mary's Loop that the last time I did this was in May at the beginning of the Kokopelli Trail Race. Ahh the memories.

It was a great day and way to spend New Year's. I'm totally psyched to be back on my bike. Oh and Matt has so graciously rebuilt my Blur which has been sitting without arms and legs since July. He has set it up trail bike style with some fatter tires, sturdy wheels and of course the Blur is already such a great trail bike with a nice cush suspension. Boy did I miss riding her.